Land of Heroes
by Star-Of-Radiance
Summary: The Mist is dying, Camp Jupiter is destroyed. Monsters are attacking and mortals are close to discovering them. Percy Jackson, greatest Hero of all, leads and rallies the resistance, but they're running out of time. Somewhere, Jason Grace woke up in an apparent hospital room, confronted by a guy he feels he KNOWS, but doesn't. But only the Last Child of the Sea can save them.
1. Chapter 1

**And here's my first real Percy Jackson fanfic. Please, supportive reviews and constructive criticism are welcome, but no flames please. I've already been harassed on another story by an 'author'. I wouldn't abuse, troll or bully you over a story on the internet, so please don't do it to me. This is full of Canon Characters as well as adding original ones, but that comes after. There's only one or two OCs in this chapter though a few will later play prominent roles, I promise we will focus on the Canon ones here.**

 **P.S: The character of Alex was actually conceptualised and written about before the first Magnus Chase book even came out- or the second which featured Alex Fierro. I chose the name Alex because 1), It's Greek, 2), It means 'Defender of Mankind'- and I could tell you more but it would be spoilers. And 3), It's almost bestowed on him like a title.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer : I'm obviously not making money out of this. End of conversation. Please move on.**

* * *

 **The Gods don't Clean up Their Mess- and Why the Hades am I Not Dead?**

The day Percy Jackson walked to the living room of his mother's apartment was the start of a new phase: the best and worst days of his adult life.

It started off as a normal day really- which was great. He didn't get much 'normal' in his life. Not unless you counted slaying a few monsters before ending up at Burger King's, but you get the idea. Nothing in Percy Jackson's life was ever normal.

So, after he and Annabeth exited his room, laughing and joking, talking about the day ahead, they figured they might not encounter anything bigger than a Scythian Dracaena on the way to breakfast.

They never even got to leave the apartment.

Instead, they froze when they saw the sight ahead of them.

Sally, Percy's mom, was standing there, talking to a girl Percy didn't recognise. Nearby Baby Estelle played in her playpen, but Sally picked her up and instinctively squeezed her, holding her tight, making the baby wail.

"Mom," Percy said. "You're squeezing her."

Percy's mother jumped. "Oh!" She exclaimed. She bit her lip and bounced the baby as if trying to think of something to say. Her eyes drifted to the floor.

That's when Percy knew something was bad. Beside him, Annabeth stiffened. "Mrs. Jackson?" She asked. "What's wrong."

The girl turned towards them. She looked a few years younger than Percy and Annabeth. She had silky caramel-coloured hair; a roundish-oval face; very smooth creamy-fair skin; a dainty retroussé nose and fine lips on her small mouth. The thing that dominated her face though were her eyes; large melted chocolate-brown eyes, that dominated her exceptionally exquisitely beautiful face, something which startled Annabeth and caused her to inhale sharply. She'd seen this girl at camp, though, to be honest, she didn't go to camp frequently nowadays, now that she was busy with college and everything.

But this girl was relatively new and when Annabeth asked about her, all she heard was that she was British and in the Hermes Cabin. Annabeth didn't know if she was a child of Hermes or unclaimed.

"Percy Jackson," she said in a voice that had a London accent. "Annabeth Chase. Sorry to bother you, but we need to talk." There was no sign of humour or anything in her eyes anymore.

"Erm," Percy began. "You are?"

"Lexie, Lexie Mathews," She said smoothly. "Daughter of Hermes. Mrs. Jackson," Estelle cooed as they took their seats at the dining table.

"The Mist is disintegrating," Lexie said as soon as they sat.

Annabeth and Percy had barely enough time to process this, but they both instinctively said: "What?!"

"How is this possible- _how_ do you know about this?" Annabeth demanded.

"Just wait a moment, there's a lot to tell and not enough time," Lexie said grimly. "It gets far worse.

"Camp Jupiter has been attacked and overrun by monsters."

There was a split second of silence before-

" _WHAT?!"_

That.

"It started weeks ago," Lexie confessed. "Although some digging by members of our cabin and our siblings in the Roman legions suggest that this was months in the making. First off, their communications- and ours- were cut. We assume this had something to do with the remnants of the Triumvirate, but apparently, we were wrong. The monsters were crowding in and crowding in fast. I don't know how they did it, not even the Romans know, but they've somehow managed to cross the Little Tiber-" Annabeth inhaled sharply. "And into Roman territory. The Wolf House is destroyed. Camp Jupiter was forced to retreat. Many soldiers died. The rest were forced to abandon the camp for New Rome or be completely overrun. Now it's been taken over by monsters. Magic users like Hazel Levesque were forced to abandon their work on the camp's boundaries and focus on reinforcing the city's instead. But even they are strained. As far as we know, your friends the praetors Frank Zhang, Reyna Ramirez-Arellano and Hazel Levesque are fine, but they're strained. Portions of the city have already been taken, and they've been forced to retreat inwards. But they've managed to find a way out."

Lexie's beautiful brown eyes glowed with a grim, haunted light. Unusual for her or any child of Hermes. "More and more refugees are fleeing New Rome; families with young children, the younger kids, escorted by a few brave warriors, all fleeing for Camp Half-Blood. I think Hazel opened a portal somewhere. The monsters don't know how they managed to escape them, but they _do_ know that some are escaping the city. Not everyone makes it to Long Island." Lexie's eyes grew even more haunted.

Percy looked at Annabeth. She was pale as a sheet. He hadn't seen her like this since, well, since Tartarus. He knew he didn't look any better. Around them, even Estelle was silent, as if grasping the severity of the situation.

"And those that do, are flooding in by the hundreds. Not just from New Rome. Demigods, Greek and Roman, are flooding in from all over the world- including those that have made it to the big time. Legacies too. Nymphs and satyrs, centaurs and many of our allies. They come with families, and most of them arrive injured, severely wounded. Some die on arrival-" Everybody winced. "The longer the distance from where they came, the worse it gets. And we can't hold on for much longer. They've started attacking us too." Annabeth and Sally Jackson gasped. Percy gripped Riptide until his knuckles turned white.

"We don't know precisely how, but monsters are breaking in through the boundaries, despite the Golden Fleece, Peleus and Thalia's tree. They're pouring in, first by the dozens, then by the hundreds. Soon, there'll be thousands. The warriors keep pushing them back, but it's taking a toll. They monsters are growing in strength. And not just there, the woods are already stocked with monsters. Nymphs and satyrs arrive, helping as much as they can, but we are hopelessly outmatched. We don't have enough to tend to our own injured, and yes, there are casualties. The numbers of monsters, refugees, wounded and dead keep rising. We don't have enough medical personnel, room to house all these people, equipment, weapons or any kind of supplies. Chiron says we're likely to face a shortage very soon. There won't be enough to pack when it comes for us to evacuate."

"Hold on," Percy interrupted. _"Evacuate?!"_

"Right now, we're trying to find a way," Lexie's face showed her strain. "It's a matter of if, not when. They've cut all communications, so they've stopped us from warning those who live in the outside world. You can't fly in by air because of winged monsters, and you can't arrive by sea because of the monsters there." Percy cursed and threw his arms in the air. "I barely managed to slip through to warn you guys. We need both of you to come back."

Percy, no doubt strained and clenching his hand around Riptide, turned to his mother and girlfriend. They were both pale and shocked. They looked beyond horrified, shaken to the core. If Camp Half-Blood falls…

"We need you. We need Percy Jackson." Lexie's brown eyes, now serious, bore straight into Percy's green ones.

"Understood," Percy managed to say in a strong voice. He was a Hero of Olympus, more than twice over. "Mom, I'm sorry but we have to leave."

"I know," Sally whispered. They stood, and she hugged him. At the doorway, Paul had heard everything. He came forwards, his face grave. "Good luck." He hugged them both. "Take care of yourselves, okay?"

Percy nodded. No jokes, no attempts at light-heartedness. This was worse than they could've imagined.

Sally packed bags of sandwiches and cookies. They never even went out to lunch.

* * *

 _Months ago..._

Jason gasped.

His eyes snapped open. Everywhere was white.

He blinked. He realised he didn't have his glasses. And short-sighted as he was, that would put him at a disadvantage in a fight. Still, he could see without them, he wasn't blind.

Jason shifted and sat upright. He looked around. Was he dead?

No, he wasn't dead. Thar much was clear. He hadn't been to the Underworld, but he did know that it wasn't sterilised white, and they didn't have a thick glass wall to one side on the way to Hades' place.

"Relax, you're not dead," a voice called out to him. Jason whirled, hand instinctively reaching for his weapon, when he realised he no longer had Hera's gladius.

"The glass wall isn't for permanently caging you." The voice continued. It sounded vaguely familiar, for some strange reason, but at the same time he couldn't place how or why, much less who it belonged to.

"It's a precautionary measure for non-staff checkups," the unnamed speaker- Jason knew it was male- continued. "When we rescue kids, most of the time they're either totally unconscious or in shock. "Sometimes they lash out, attacking people, often caused by illusions, or they carry pathogens or powerful curses. It took us a while to make sure you didn't have anything, but no one took any chances."

Jason now realised he was in a bed; a hospital bed with pale grey-grey green cover, the only splash of colour around there. His hands flew to his back between his shoulder-blades.

Nothing. As if Caligula had never thrown a gladius between his shoulder-blades. As if Jason had never been shot with arrows in each limb from Caligula's _pandai._ As if it had all been some bad dream.

That made him instantly wary.

"Who are you?"

In response someone moved at the corner of the room. Jason nearly jumped out of his skin. He cursed himself for not noticing someone there.

"Call me Alex," the speaker was a tall young man. He was incredibly, even outstandingly handsome in a regal, striking way. He had a perfectly angular, well-defined and strongly chiselled face and features; his hair glinted like molten or beaten gold and his eyes were a dazzling shade of blue, so startling they could strike you dead. But this guy was no male-model, Jason could tell that much. Whatever or whoever he was, this Alex radiated cold, deadly, powerful strength, purpose and energy. He was built like a fighter; lean, yet strong and muscular. The way he stood, the way he held himself with more assurance, confidence and purpose (though no such arrogance- Jason still remembered Caligula) than even the most experienced soldiers in the legion or a US Navy Marine or general, spoke a lot to Jason. He stiffened, wondering if this guy was a threat, but nothing in his instincts told him he was.

But what grated him more than anything, as if he should know something which Jason was sure he didn't- was the strong sense of familiarity about him. And that struck Jason deep within his very core. As if his soul or every part of his DNA were screaming at him as if he should know this person.

Except that he didn't.

The speaker 'Alex', eyed Jason with an unreadable expression. Despite his instincts, Jason found his voice.

"Where am I?"

"Someplace where no deity from the numerous cosmologies- or pantheons, you can call them- can ever find you." Alex said calmly. He walked over to a table. "Including the Triumvirate."

 _The Triumvirate!_

Jason shot out of bed. "I have to get back!" Instead he staggered as soon as he got up and would have hit the floor if it weren't for Alex's hand shooting out and steadying him. It felt really strong and warm, despite that it wasn't big. He pulled Jason back to his feet.

Alex scoffed. "Right. Barely recovered, just back in your own skin, hopelessly outnumbered, outgunned and with the gods, save the exiled wannabe ignoring you. You do realise that whatever you're planning on improvising will disastrously fail, don't you?"

Jason gritted his teeth. He drew himself up, clenched his hand into a fist. "My friends will die because of me," his voice threatened to crack. "Piper-"

"Is alive our sources tell us. Same as your friends, Leo, Reyna, Meg McCaffrey and Apollo, otherwise known as Lester Papadoupolos." Alex was carrying a cup which he held out to Jason.

"You haven't eaten since you fell unconscious," he held out the goblet. It had a cloudy liquid that steamed and smelled like herbs, and something else, something rich and dark. "You'll need this."

Jason eyed it suspiciously. "Is this Ambrosia or Nectar?" It might have been poison. Well, Jason had a good reason to be suspicious. But maybe if this Alex wanted him dead, he would've killed him while he was unconscious.

But then again, Medea kept Apollo alive just so she and Caligula could use him for the evil- and disgusting- scheme of cooking sun god soup. It didn't look threatening, but inm his experience, Jason had learned the most threatening things are the ones that seemed the most harmless. Any demigod or legacy would say the same.

"Well, it's not poison, that much is for certain," there was a hint of sarcasm in Alex's voice. Being around Percy so much, Jason learned a great deal about sarcasm. "Just drink it and you'll be back to normal without having nutrients pumped into you constantly. "

Jason took the goblet and eyed it warily. He came to a decision and drank it in a single gulp. If Alex wanted to harm him, he would have done so... Or not. Jason did learn about enemies misleading and tricking you, while he was in the legion. Hades, he'd been on the receiving end of that, several times when he was careless.

On the other hand, his instincts were screaming at him to trust this guy. Which was insane because he didn't even know him. But Jason had learned to trust his gut instincts early on. It was one of the few things that helped a demigod survive in the outside world, just like his weapons. It was the first thing that Lupa had taught him. And right now, he had no choice.

It was warm, rich, delicious and satisfying. The potion also left a warm, buttery aftertaste, like he'd just eaten fresh-baked cookies or brownies from New Rome's bakery, filling him with warmth from head to toe. He cleared his throat.

"Better?" Alex drawled, taking the empty goblet. He placed it on the table.

"Yeah." Jason blinked. Then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How did you know about the Triumvirate- and Piper-" his voice choked as he spoke.

Piper. Jason felt cracked, if he could. Like he wanted to curl into a ball and break, disappear into nothing. Alex must have noticed, and his eyes softened in sympathy.

"She's fine." He said. His voice markedly softer and less hard and sarcastic, Jason supposed, in tone. "As for the others, well, it's best if you came with me, I'll explain on the way out."

Jason stiffened but a door slid open. He didn't even notice it was there. Everything was so white it blended in. He also realised it wasn't a magical door appearing out of nowhere, the way he expected. He looked back. On the other side of the glass wall, looked like a surgery room of some kind. Up ahead was a long corridor, white and sterilised just like the hospital room.

"To answer your question," Alex said. Jason noticed he had an accent. He couldn't figure it out. He didn't think he had a bad ear for accents, but Alex could've been anything from British to German, to Irish to Welsh to Swiss. Somewhere in Europe. "We've known about the Triumvirate for quite some time. It's not exactly a big secret, even to mortals. Of course, mortals don't know about the supernatural. Most of them think it's a bunch of rubbish and hokum. We like to keep it that way, but I'm afraid it might not be for long."

He gave Jason a look. Up close, Jason saw that his eyes were a deep, piercing sapphire blue. "Well, you know about the Greek gods," Jason could have sworn that he heard a sarcastic, cold drawl when he mentioned the word gods. "And their Roman counterparts. Did your friends Percy and Annabeth mention other pantheons to you?"

He blinked. "What?"

"I take it that's a no," Alex muttered. "Well, Percy and Annabeth went for separate walks some time, before they encountered a guy- in Percy's case- and a girl- in Annabeth's. Long story short, they were actually siblings- though the girl looked Caucasian British, and the boy was African American- and they had ties to the Egyptian gods."

 _"What?!"_

"They were magicians, practicing a magic that wasn't Hecate's or Trivia's as you might call her." Alex mentioned it in a disinterested sort of voice, like he was relaying a fact. "In short, the Egyptian gods exist. The Norse gods exist too. Your friend Annabeth's cousin, is a Norse demigod, the son of the god Frey."

Jason felt dizzy. He didn't know whether to believe this guy or not, but he didn't seem to be lying. He reached out and grasped a wall. "Yeah, it's a lot to take in," Alex said carelessly. "But it's true. Maybe next time you see her, you can ask her all about it. Other gods exist, Jason." Alex turned and fixed him with burning sapphire eyes. "Many cosmologies exist. And they often have heroes- to call it that- to carry out their dirty work, save the cosmos, the world from destruction, et cetera, et cetera. Some of them are magicians, like the siblings your friends met- often hosts." Jason didn't have time to ask about that- he didn't even know if he wanted to know about that, but Alex continued. "Some of them are demigods. Others are legacies, some are champions, and some are Nephilim."

Jason opened his mouth to speak but found that he couldn't. Alex's piercing sapphire blue eyes met his and dug harshly into his soul. "Best take it in as fast as you can," he said harshly. "Before this universe swallows you whole."

Jason threw out his hands in exasperation. "If that's true, then it's already swallowed me whole," he retorted. His temper normally so calm and unimpulsive, was set off by this guy's manner. Jason couldn't decide if this guy was friendly or not.

Alex snorted. "Yeah, I heard. Caligula had arrows shot at you and stabbed you in the back. Then he shot arrows at you again for good measure. Smart move, by the way, turning your back on your enemy, even for a split second. You should never have underestimated him."

Jason's normally even temper flared again. "I was trying to save my friends."

"And look how well that worked out. Your friends would have been fine without you. You should have trusted them. And you- the tactical expert- going with Meg McCaffrey, who, despite her young age, is a very consummate fighter, leaving Piper and Apollo- sorry, Lester- behind?" Alex's eyes were hard. "They weren't stupid, but neither of them are combat experts, even with Piper's expertise and the former being a god, as compared to yours. That could have ended worse, and you know it. Getting captured... It was poorly planned, poorly executed and Caligula got away." His eyes were cold. "I expected more from a tactical commander of the two camps. And a Hero of Olympus." He scoffed the last word.

Jason flushed, glaring angrily at the new guy. And yet he couldn't deny, he was right.

"You saved Olympus, you earned your place in the legion and in Camp Half-Blood," Alex said mercilessly. "But you could have failed. Disastrously. And that would have meant the end of everything, wouldn't it? And you died, anyway."

"How am I even alive then?" He bit out. He wasn't usually like this- it took a lot to rile Jason up, but this guy was getting on his nerves.

"You were alive because _you_ weren't you." Alex answered, turning away. "That thing Caligula killed, it wasn't you."

Jason stared at him. It occurred to him that this guy might be crazy. But then, he reminded himself, how was he alive?

"Like I said, Egyptian gods exist. _Shabti,_ they said, make excellent stunt doubles. The Egyptians usually made these models out of clay, wax or glass and placed them in the tombs of the dead to serve as servants in the afterlife, where they could kick back, relax and enjoy eternity. But their magicians used them as decoys, and stunt doubles, and numerous things besides. The problem was that we had to fool the Triumvirate. And to do that we needed to do the impossible- fool you and the Herophile Sibyl."

Jason stared. "You fooled the Sibyl." It was impossible, inconceivable. And yet they had done it.

 _"Shabti_ who act as doubles have no connection to the individuals they're posing as. Other than some memories and basic powers, copied and transferred- it's not like you used your power to a large extent- which was why that thing could use your powers to break the tornado cage. Why it could summon the _ventus_ you rode. Basically, the _shabti_ pose as the individuals, with the memories, magical abilities, personalities, and even physiques copied into them. Quite impressive for something that's actually made of clay."

Jason's hand clung to the wall again. After all that... It was definitely too much. Saving Olympus and the world was one thing, but dying only to turn out not to be dead, and meeting this guy...

"That thing even thought it was you." Alex mused. "It didn't find out, not like Zia Rashid's." Jason didn't bother to ask who that was or how he knew that. All he knew was that he was alive, but...

"But I remember everything," he whispered. "I was there. I died."

"You didn't die, Jason." Alex's clear blue eyes, less hostile, even _gentle_ now, met his. "Believe me, you didn't. Like I said, _shabti_ don't normally have a connection to the living individuals they're posing as, but the one we sent to be you did. You were captured. You lost consciousness and was injected with benzodiazepines to make you lose your recent memories as well, while you were at school. Then we rescued you, while you were still unconscious. Your memories and genetic code weren't just copied into the _shabti_ to give it your personality, powers, physicality and memories. They took some of your blood- including the godly ichor you inherited from your father- and genetic matter." They'd stopped, and Alex went to a slot in the wall, to some kind of machine. "It was even more complex, and more than Egyptian magic was involved, but we had been planning this for a long time. While you were unconscious, we sent the un-activated _shabti_ back to school in your place. It had a strong mental connection with your mind, therefore, we kept your body in stasis, but your brain was fully awake and active. Just not in control of that body." He turned around and pointed at Jason.

"All the time, you were seeing things, hearing things, tasting and touching things, every memory you had of that time, you were experiencing in another body. An artificial one. So, it wasn't just a decoy. It was you. Everything you felt, everything you experienced whilst unconscious, came from the link connecting you to your _shabti_ or double. It was utterly unique. Even the gods- who can't detect magical impostors and doubles until up close, would find it almost impossible, to know it was not you, because it was. There's never been a _shabti_ like the one we made to take your place. Because no one can completely change into the person they're posing as. A few copied memories and powers are nothing." He moved forward. "You were unique. So, the _shabti_ had to be. The Sibyl saw you die. But we cut the connection after that thing shut down. It was a good fake so that you really appeared dead. Normally _shabti_ would turn back into its original form- albeit broken- when they're 'killed'. But you stayed long enough to be placed in a coffin. Now because your brain was connected long enough to stay until that thing shut down and died, everyone either saw- or in your friend Nico's case- felt you die. It fooled everyone even the Triumvirate." He moved closer.

"Don't you see? You or Piper...The Triumvirate were never planning on killing her. She was the bait. They were after you. As powerful Piper is, you're the son of one of the three major gods. Of course, they would have killed Piper if you hadn't shown up, but the Sibyl also saw that. She didn't see you get replaced with another body, yet she knew it was you. She also saw the Triumvirate's attention. They were hell-bent on getting rid of every major obstacle first and you were the first they happened to encounter. You were just way too close to Caligula and so I took the opportunity. Yes, it was me. And no, I don't particularly care if you have something against that, my goal was to keep you alive."

Jason felt something press into his arm, and then scratch it. "Ow!" He jumped back. Alex held up a metal object, pointed like an arrow-head. The tip of it was stained in Jason's blood. Underneath a small green light could be seen, pulsing. "This severs your connection to the Greco-Roman cosmology- and their gods. The Olympians- even the Triumvirate- will think that you are truly dead." He took out a small round container. Inside was a thick cream-silver paste which he smeared onto Jason's cut. "It'll heal without scarring, and it'll seal things up. Your father won't even be able to sense you. You've disappeared, for all intents and purposes, dead to the Olympian cosmology and all those that belong to it. You still have the ichor infused with mortal blood which you've inherited from your parents. But any link which could enable them to sense you is dead." He held the object up. "It contains a powerful, but non-lethal pathogen. Works kind of like a vaccination. It'll spread within you, working like white blood cells in your immune system." Alex stored it in a clear plastic. "We thought to do it while you were unconscious, but I said we'd done enough to you. You deserved some honesty."

"But I have to go back," Jason insisted, looking at Alex's eyes, darker than his, but strangely similar and familiar.

"You're dead in the Triumvirate's eyes," Alex scoffed. "What are you going to do, pop back up again and try to take them on? Like I said, you should have trusted your friends to play their part, and now your part's done. Camp Jupiter and your friends survived. It's had heavy casualties, but they'll recover, and they'll be back stronger than ever. The campers are reorganising. Everyone's on the move, and they're going to fight and win this war. I know this because we've been handling things as much as we could without being seen. With your trigger-happy, paranoid father in charge, none of us could exactly interfere directly without endangering many more. You have no clear plan- and it's clear that your improvisation skills sadly aren't as good as your friend Percy's- you've just woken up and now you have the advantage in fooling the Triumvirate and those damned gods that you are dead. Pop back up and you'll not only endanger yourself, but you'll endanger _us._ Everyone here. The Triumvirate will be even more determined to wipe you and your friends out, alongside us- and the gods. We've brought them time by pulling you out. Caligula thinks he's won a great victory. He's an arrogant fool in the extreme, they all are. And I'm not going to allow you to endanger anyone else by exposing us as well as yourself either." Alex retorted.

He pressed a hand against the wall. Another door slid open. "Feel free to wander about, and dinner is at five-thirty, there's a clock on the wall," Alex said shortly. "Just go right. If we can trust you, you'll be allowed to get around."

Jason clenched his fists. "And if you don't?" After all this, Jason had to remind himself that he was once a Praetor of New Rome and Camp Jupiter. He shouldn't lose control of his emotions so easily.

"We'll see." Alex said, his eyes cool as he met Jason's. At this point, Jason was suddenly struck by how cold this guy's aura seemed to be. Like he was standing naked at the highest mountain in the cosmos and it was midwinter. Just by looking at him, Jason could feel Alex's attitude towards him change, being far less... Well, he wasn't exactly friendly to begin with. But even though he knew he wasn't going to get killed and this guy saved his life, he could feel the hostility rising while the temperature dropped.

"Enjoy your stay, if you want." Alex said mockingly while the door slid shut.

And that was how Jason ended up alive. Of course, nobody else knew that.

* * *

Miles away and months later, Percy Jackson stared at the masses of monsters. The sight of those armies massing around Half-Blood Hill- his home (not the hill or the pine tree- the camp behind it), made his stomach clench.

"How many?" He asked through gritted teeth. "You said it was completely surrounded."

At that moment, a loud crashing noise distracted them. Trees were on fire, crashing to the ground, accompanied by the triumphant shrieks of monsters. More nymphs would've died. Percy felt sick. Lexie flinched, but didn't turn away. "It'll be harder as we get closer. Even now, they could've sensed us."

She'd covered them with some kind of deodorant. Givenchy perfume (it really wasn't Percy's thing, but with his scent…), mixed with some other stuff, which repelled monsters or hypnotised them into taking no notice. Lou Ellen of the Hecate Cabin had created that.

"Many monsters have camped in the woods. Many dryads and naiads are dead," she said flatly. "The satyrs and campers hurried to get as many of them across the border, but it's difficult. Most of them can't survive being moved any farther and the satyrs themselves had losses." Percy's hand tightened around Riptide.

He felt angry, useless and helpless. More than that, he was furious at himself for not being there.

"So how do we slip in?" Annabeth asked, her grey eyes clouded.

"There's a portal," Lexie explained. "Lou Ellen installed it. But we have to make sure that no one and nothing else is coming in with us. And it's a safe distance away from the camp."

"You sure it works?" Percy asked.

"Positive. It's how I got in and out." She said shortly. "I'm relatively young and haven't fought in any of the wars, so with the deodorant, monsters don't recognise my scent- if they notice it." She grinned, the light dancing in her beautiful brown eyes again, and Annabeth remembered Malcolm discussing how one of their brothers had a crush on her.

They put away the telescope and struggled down the hillside.

"We can't get to close to the camp or anywhere monsters might be," Lexie explained. "If any monster finds us, and spots the portal, we have to kill them. They may come back, but we have to keep them from finding out about the portal for as long as we can." She handed Annabeth and Percy some small statues.

"What are these?"

"They were made by the Hecate Cabin," Lexie stated. "Install them at all compass directions- north, south, east, west- around the portal when we get there. I'll trigger the protective spell and then I'll open the portal." Annabeth nodded, and they hurried off.

They ran for it. But it wasn't too far off, when two hellhounds stopped their sniffing and foraging for food on the forest floor and sniffed the air above them. One dog's eyes narrowed, and he bared his teeth. He howled like a wolf, summoning the others.

"They know we're here. The deodorant can only hide us so far," Lexie hissed. They ran faster.

Three hellhounds appeared on their tail. They were snarling, eyes red as lava, barking and racing after them.

"Come on," Lexie said through ground teeth. They raced faster. She jumped up ahead on a pile of rocks, and Annabeth went after her, jumping off one boulder and grabbing Lexie's hand. Percy slashed the demon dogs with Riptide, causing them to back nervously, before they zeroed in on him again and growled, coming closer.

"Percy, come _on!"_ Annabeth pleaded. "Wait!" Lexie shouted. She shouted. "Duck!" And threw a grenade of something at the hellhounds.

Yellow sulphuric smoke burst through the tiny grenade. It hit the nearest dog and it sniffed suspiciously before howling in agony and exploding into dust. The smoke spread.

"Here, Percy, grab my hand," Annabeth pleaded. Percy took her hand and off they went.

"Here!" They finally burst through some dense trees into a clearing.

Right in the middle of a single stone, like something from Stonehenge. "Statues, now!" Lexie shouted. They got to work.

Lexie started chanting in Ancient Greek and older languages. Soon, the statues glowed. A line of blue light lit up the lines of the Hecate Statues and ran throughout the perimeter of the clearing from each statue, creating a circle. A translucent wall rose, preventing any monsters from coming near.

Lexie kept chanting. The stone in the centre glowed. The centre of the stone faded and turned liquid-like, before clearing into a silvery metallic colour. Symbols and strange carvings of birds and other creatures alongside magical glyphs appeared. The liquid in the centre seemed to harden and clear, becoming-

"A mirror," Percy spoke. "The portal," Lexie corrected grimly.

The howls of various monsters, alerted by the hellhounds, came closer. "Come on," Lexie ushered Annabeth forwards and she all but pushed her in.

"Percy!" She hissed. "I have to turn off everything before they discover this! Hurry!" Percy hurried and jumped through the mirror. It felt like swimming in icy cold metal- silver, not water. But before long it thickened, then abruptly disappeared, disappearing into nothing and the blurred silver around him turned into green.

"Percy!" Someone shouted. Some campers in full armour ran up to him.

"You injured?" Will Solace asked.

Percy shook his head. "Okay," Will breathed in relief. Just then Lexie pulled through.

"That was a tricky one," she grumbled. She brushed off a few leaves and monster dust from her sleeve. "Barely killed them before turning off- and jumping in whilst deactivating the thing."

Will frowned. "We should've had someone to help you."

Lexie shrugged. "Next time. We brought some extra supplies." She opened her bag. A whole group of campers ran forwards. She started distributing canned food. "Put those in the storage- the locked one. Make sure everyone gets an even share and no one steals anything."

When a child of Hermes warns people not to steal, that's when you know how bad things are. Percy stepped forward. "What's the situation?" He asked.

"Locked in, stranded," Will said as they walked towards the Big House. "Surrounded completely by monsters at land, sea and air, from all corners. Running low on supplies, too many injured and not enough space and medical staff." Everywhere around them, Percy could see people lying on stretchers, many covered in blood, and a large number of them horribly injured. Too few healers and volunteers, ran around helping them sit or take a drink of water. A lot of tents littered the place, looking like they were hastily set up. And even those looked packed. Percy cast his eyes around. Warriors reported to officers and messengers ran around. There were satyrs, and centaurs- but none of these looked excited, like the Party Ponies in the Titan War. It all looked like a sea of tents, injured, soot-streaked and blood-stained warriors even from below. Percy noticed that some weren't even campers. There were some older demigods, ones that he'd seen but had left camp once they'd come of age, apparently returned with families, including young children. There were those that he had never met before. Romans and Greeks, demigods, legacies, mortal family members, nymphs, satyrs, a few lost-looking fauns, some friendly monsters, centaurs… There were too many to count. It was too horrible to imagine. And somewhere, the smell of roasting meat- but Percy knew it wasn't barbecue. He'd smelt it before. Bodies, dead bodies burning on the pyre.

Percy grabbed Will's arm. "How many dead?"

"Tonight- we were lucky," Will's shoulders sagged. "Only three. Yesterday it was nine."

Percy's hand stiffened and he pulled away. _Twelve._ Twelve people had died between yesterday and today, and he didn't even know about it. He had been thinking of going to Burger King's. He'd never felt so helpless, so angry with himself.

Not even during the wars.

Will sighed, "Come on, let's get you to the Big House. Chiron wants to talk."

Nearby, Percy spotted Annabeth engrossed in deep conversation with Malcolm Pace, her second-in-command. Annabeth looked pale and ashen-faced and Percy knew that she comprehended the scale of just how bad things were.

"Lexie said there were many refugees from New Rome- and the outside world." He spoke.

Will nodded. "From everywhere. Only Chiron were able to recognise them, just in case there were spies. We don't know what's happened. We only know that after the mortals started spotting us fighting monsters- actual monsters- that's when we knew things got bad." Of course, it was. Sure, there were a few mortals who had Clear Sight, like Rachel and Percy's mom, but when adults older than small kids could see through the Mist…

"What happened?"

The son of Apollo looked troubled. "A few weeks ago, a team of campers set out to the city. They were on their way back home." His face darkened. "They decided to take a detour. They were armed, so there was no danger of them being attacked without surviving. Or so they thought. But at Macey's in New York, they were attacked by a group of Scythian Dracaenae. These weren't like the other monsters, they looked… Haggard, tired, wild and desperate. They just charged them. They fought, but one of the monsters grabbed a backpack and started rummaging through the supplies, stealing weapons, food, medicine- anything they could find, before taking off. They chased them, of course. But more monsters attacked them- like they were helping the dracaenae get away. Eventually they were overrun. Mortals started panicking, screaming about giants and snake-women- a whole group of _fully-grown adults,"_ Will stressed. "Screaming and panicking. They saw everything. The distraction cost them." He looked down. Only one managed to get away. He died last week." Will's face was shadowed by his hair. "His injuries were too bad."

A lump rose in Percy's throat. He forced it down.

"How many healers, commandoes, anyone ready to fight?"

"Right now?" Will gave a mental count. "Six to eight healers on the field- we had to set up another infirmary, we've got one more there- two if you count the one running back and forth from the first to the second infirmary next door. After that, there are three-to-four in the main infirmary, last I checked. One medic." Will paused. "I'm the one running everything." Percy nodded. "Supplies? Commandoes?"

"Well, we've got Malcolm, Meg McCaffrey, Clarisse and Sherman Yang and-"

"Percy," Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite stood before them.

The last time Percy saw Piper was at Jason's funeral. He didn't expect to see her so soon. She looked focused, determined now, but there was a hardness in her eyes and the way she held her shoulders that didn't belong there. She was brittle, like an eggshell. "Glad to have you back."

"Piper." Annabeth stopped behind him. "Hey Annabeth," Piper acknowledged.

"We're receiving between five to eight more refugees tonight," she informed them. "The last group just came. There were four survivors." Will winced.

"Right, I gotta get going," he muttered. "See ya," he raced off. "Nico's escorting them." Piper continued, stepping closer. "But even with him not everybody makes it."

Percy took a deep breath. "Chiron?"

"He's right there," Piper answered, looking at Chiron. He was in his centaur form, so he could move faster. "Percy, Annabeth." He looked more lined and grave than Percy had ever seen him. "I am so glad you could make it," he sounded relieved.

"Chiron," Annabeth choked. Her grey eyes were filled with tears, but she was holding them back. She was strong.

"Yes, my dear, I know," he soothed, gathering her in a hug. She choked into his shirt. "But we mustn't let what we cannot undo get to us. There is plenty to be done."

Percy almost slammed down his backpack of goods and supplies. "We brought more supplies," he mumbled, having forgotten about his backpack.

Chiron nodded gratefully. "Thank you, both of you. You both undertook an extraordinary journey. And I must thank Lexie too. With every passing day, this threat grows." He sighed, suddenly looking weary, almost beaten. It disturbed Percy, this unbeatable guy, this teacher that had endured teaching some of the biggest heroes for thousands of years, who'd faced Kronos in what looked like the losing side of a war. He had never seen Chiron look defeated.

"Lexie told us Camp Jupiter was gone," he choked. Chiron looked up.

"Indeed, my boy. The Roman camp has been overrun. They were forced to abandon it to the enemy after they crossed the Little Tiber. Now most of the city of New Rome has been taken over. Those that remain guard diligently but are strained. More and more are dying each day, even those that risk their lives to flee for safety."

"But why?" Percy exploded. "Why is this happening? Why are the monsters acting like this?"

Annabeth froze, which meant that she'd just figured out something. "Malcolm said that the monsters were robbing supplies," she said slowly. "And Lexie said that the Mist was disintegrating."

"Lexie was correct," Chiron sighed. "The Mist has broken down. The mortals see everything. Unfortunately, the Mist is more than just a filter. It's a barrier."

"Hold on," Percy interrupted. "A barrier?"

"Yes, it separates the mortal world from the supernatural," Chiron said smoothly. "More than that. I think you recall my conversation, Annabeth, that when the gods decided to separate their Greek and Roman children from each other, they used the Mist. It is a barrier for all supernatural, all cosmologies." He looked sternly at both of them. "Including for your cousin Magnus and your friends Carter and Sadie."

They froze. "How did you-" Annabeth started to say, but Chiron held his hand up. "Peace," he said. "I did not come to berate you. I understood why you kept this a secret. Goodness knows how the gods would have reacted if they found out the boundaries had been crossed. Already there is tension between the gods of Olympus and Asgard-"

"Hold on," Percy interrupted again. "What?"

"-And the barriers separating each pantheon, each cosmology, have been there far longer than the barriers separating Greek from Roman," Chiron continued as if Percy hadn't spoken. "Chaos is ensuing. So far, only Apollo keeps contact from Olympus, but he is forced to keep it minimal for fear Zeus will find out-"

"Of course, he is," Percy growled. "Because the rest of them just don't give a damn if the world is going into chaos. Until their thrones are threatened."

Thunder and lightning. But Percy ignored it. He was too mad, too upset to care.

"My dear boy, I understand how you feel," Chiron implored. "But I hardly think that making the situation even worse and alienating the gods might help."

"Why not?" Percy demanded. "They let Jason die!" Annabeth snapped.

More thunder and lightning. Chiron closed his eyes. He couldn't fault them for saying this.

"Annabeth's right," Percy said. "They did let Jason die. They blamed Apollo for everything, and no one else spoke a single word because they were too afraid for themselves. So they cut us out like we never even existed and decided that Apollo- without his powers- would be the one to deal with the Triumvirate themselves. And now Jason's dead. And none of them care."

He turned on his heel and marched off to help the others. Chiron sighed.

"Rachel is here," he explained. "The Oracle of Delphi has given a prophecy."

"A prophecy?" Annabeth asked numbly. "What prophecy?" She knew prophecies. How could things possibly get any worse?

"A prophecy that may be the key to saving us," Chiron replied, as they turned and headed off to meet the other campers.


	2. Chapter 2

**To Guest Reviewer: That's what I was aiming for. As for Jason, yeah, that's part of the problem. That and the fact that Alex is purposely trying to rile him up to test him. As for Percy, yes, it's sad. But he's lost a best friend, like a brother which Jason became. He and Piper aren't dealing with this very well, and we'll see more in Piper and Annabeth's POVs later.**

 **There's plenty of canon characters here- there's no way I'm going to neglect them. The POVs will shift between characters, both** **canon and OC. As for the Olympians... Well, opinions on them are about to be lowered farther.**

 **I can't say much about the other gods, but you've predicted Zeus' response. Mr. D hasn't been seen since the war against Gaea unless you counted the time he appeared as Bacchus and made Percy and Jason fight a gladiatorial combat with a giant ba** **llerina! Olympus is still in lock-down though Apollo has returned. More characters will appear.**

 **To CallMeLatino: Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer : Do I need to say it- obviously none of this- except the OCs- are mine! The numerous canon characters belong to which amazing person again?**

* * *

 **Why so Confusing? It's infuriating and I'm tired!**

The dreams were vivid, they were never clear.

She never knew what to make of them. Her slender, delicate hands twisted the fabric of the dress she put on for the party, uncaring of the wrinkles and creases it might made.

She saw a beach of golden light, a tall young man with golden hair, leaning down to her as if... As if...

No, it couldn't be. No one kissed her unless they wanted a hard smash to the crotch.

She saw other things. Fighting, spinning through the air, golden-red blades whirling. She had a partner fighting alongside her. She didn't know how she knew this person was on her side, but she did. And she thought it might have been the same guy.

She saw hordes of demonic-looking... Things. Some scaled with green skin, others with snakes for hair. Some with various grotesque body parts. There was always a large team or the same guy fighting alongside her- with her. As a team. As a family.

Like her own.

And none of it made sense.

Iridiscent and brilliant green eyes opened and Aglaia wondered if they were really just dreams... Or memories from a life she couldn't remember. Memories that had been mostly erased.

* * *

So that was how Jason got roped into this mess.

He'd always known that dying and the afterlife is unpleasant.

But _not_ dying and not being able to go back to his friends- that was another thing entirely.

On the bright side, his eyesight was fixed. Jason had gotten so used to his glasses that it came as a surprise every morning when he reached for them, only to find that they weren't there.

He was well-treated and felt healthier and cleaner than he had ever been since- well, ever. But on the downside, he could tell that they didn't exactly trust him.

The first time he met other people, they stopped and stared at him. They didn't exactly pick on him, nor did they edge away from him, but he could tell they didn't trust him.

Nobody spoke or tried to make him feel welcome. That was okay with Jason. He was the new kid. He'd grown up in the Legion. He knew he had to prove his worth before they accepted him. Most of all, he had to prove he could be relied on.

He knew that most people he met probably didn't want him to be here, but they couldn't exactly let him go for fear he might run back to the camps and reveal their existence. Jason couldn't even blame them. He'd have to provide a good explanation if he just showed up out of nowhere, after being killed. And Jason had learned that the gods were unreliable in so many ways. Who knows what they- or the campers- would do if they found out about a group of demigods, legacies and every kind of hero, working together in secret, manipulating every fight from behind the scenes? So reluctantly, Jason restrained himself from flying out of there and back to Piper and their friends.

Because that was who they were and what they did. Jason learned that soon enough. The first few months he suffered from things like motion sickness, nausea and numerous things that weren't really pleasant to mention. Apparently, the doctor in charge said that he was simply suffering from months in hibernation and his brain needed to get used to being back in his own body. Now come to think about it, Jason now knew why he didn't feel so good for a few weeks. The doctor had told him that during his first weeks in the fake body/avatar/stunt double, the new body and its connection to his brain also needed to adjust.

So Jason went through things like Physiotherapy, food prescriptions for his meals, weighing, learning to walk in a straight line and a whole bunch of other things. He'd even gone through yoga, his limbs stretched and twisted awkwardly while he sat on the mat. It was a while before he was given normal food as opposed to mush and what Alex handed to him when he first woke up.

Alex. So far, Jason didn't know what to think of him, or what Alex thought of _him_ for that matter. He knew that Alex had been the one to save him- the doctor confirmed that fact, but when Jason asked _why_ he'd saved him, she refused to answer. It was frustrating. But no one really trusted him.

He didn't know what Alex felt about him because while Alex had been on hand during his therapy and training sessions (he was helping him get back in shape after being unconscious for so long), sometimes he felt as if he was genuinely supportive, helpful, kind even. He certainly provided morale boosters and incredibly encouraging support when Jason least expected it. But he could also be hard, mocking, goading, demanding and cold, and Alex tended to shift back and forth from there.

Jason genuinely didn't know if the guy liked him or not.

After a week, he was introduced to a group of other people. Some, Alex explained, were demigods from the Greek and Roman world. There weren't that many Romans, if at all, but there were plenty of Greeks. Alex also warned them that everyone there didn't have a happy past so Jason should keep from asking personal questions that might offend or remind them of what they've been through.

However, Alex hinted that there were more than just demigods there. Whatever that meant, Jason didn't know. His mind drifted to the conversation he had when he first met Alex, about other gods and pantheons existing.

The first person to open up to him was a girl called Drypêtis. She was a beautiful girl, but not as _BAM-obvious,_ as Leo would say, as Piper. She was a quieter, modest kind of girl and Jason had to admit he liked that. No, he didn't feel anything for her the way he felt about Piper, but he might've made a friend.

He kept thinking about Piper thought, what she was doing, if she was safe, where she was. He even wondered if she was thinking about him and how she felt when he died. But Drypêtis provided some very helpful answers.

She had a rich creamy-tan complexion like mocha and a narrow-looking elfin face with delicate features. Her chocolate hair was tinged with natural red-auburn and she had rich brown, coffee-coloured eyes. She looked vaguely Middle-Eastern, but she made it quite clear that she was Iranian- not Arabic.

Jason didn't dare admit that he didn't know the difference. He knew all about the stereotypes about Americans not knowing about the outside world and he didn't want to admit his ignorance. Drypêtis was assigned to him because, as he found out, she was as great a mechanic and engineer as Leo. Or maybe it was just Jason's bias that prevented him from thinking that anybody could ever be better than Leo, but he had to admit her work was awesome.

"This isn't Celestial Bronze," Jason's brow furrowed, during one time. "Or Imperial Gold."

"No, but it's close," Drypêtis said. "This is Orichalcum."

Jason blinked. "I think I read about that somewhere when I was in New Rome." He vaguely remembered a scroll during the sessions he was researching for his ancient history assignment. It was not one of Jason's favourites.

"It's not mentioned much," Drypêtis shrugged. She turned to tinker at another table. "But it's where Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold come from. They're components of Orichalcum, combined with other substances and treated in different ways as well as being bound with magic, which causes them to form into alloys. It's the most powerful metal on earth. Far stronger and with more uses than either alloys."

Jason stared. "Then why do we use Imperial Gold or Celestial Bronze?"

"Because it's too powerful," Drypêtis replied smoothly without looking at him. "The Atlanteans also used it and they were mortals. So clearly, mortals could use it as well as demigods, legacies and the gods themselves. Now only the gods are using it- except for us." She paused. "It could also harm mortals alongside some of the most powerful people. But it's used for more than weaponry. Jewellery, tools, mechanical devices-" her eyes gleamed. "And inventions. Watch."

Just then, a ball made of a transparent something, floated upwards towards the ceiling. The lights dimmed, and suddenly the ball glowed, filling the room with light clearer and more focused than a lightbulb or a torch without blinding anyone.

"It took me weeks to plan out the design and materials, a few months to make and more months to perfect the design." She grinned. "But I've done it. I've made an illuminator. But you can call it a glowglobe."

"Um… To make light?"

"Obviously! We don't need lightbulbs now! We can even put it on auto mode." Drypêtis looked very pleased with herself. "Floating and turning on whenever we enter a room. Turning off when we exit- or if we flick our hands a certain way." She flicked her hand and it turned off, submerging the two in darkness. Then she probably flicked her hand again, because it turned on. "It has sensors, even in the dark," she explained. "Powered by organic batteries or simply by harvesting solar energy, or absorbing things like kinetic energy from people's movements in the air currents, tiny currents of electricity, microscopic droplets of water and pollutants and converting them into light. Or even electrical impulses coursing through its surroundings. We can even make it go on lockdown so if anyone tries to come in and wasting energy- though it uses less energy than lightbulbs- or hover above the area, either to follow me or anyone else, or go on auto-rotation mode. Watch." She said again. "Glowglobe: follow Jason." She mouthed, _Go to the other end of the room._ She pointed with her finger.

Okay, so Jason moved to the opposite end of the room. The globe followed, hovering above him.

"Glowglobe- auto-rotation." Drypêtis commanded. The glowglobe hovered still for a while. It slowly floated around the room, back and forth, slow enough not to make Jason feel dizzy. "See?" She beamed.

Jason was almost certain she was a child of Vulcan- or Hephaestus. Like Leo. He really missed the guy.

"I've invented suspensors," She admitted. "That's how it hovers. I've attached them to other things like chairs and ramps, so you don't have to install numerous things. I've made numerous weapons out of Orichalcum as well as Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold. But I _love_ making new inventions. I've even made sonic showers."

"Sonic showers?" Jason asked, suddenly dizzy.

"Yes. Sci-fi inspired. Not just Star Trek but Star Wars. It's a shower that's faster and more efficient than water-based showers. When we're trying to save water _and_ time, we can use Sonic Showers." Drypêtis looked pleased. "I sometimes scour Sci-Fi novels, comics and films for inspiration. If I can build it, I will. Who cares what other people say about it being impossible? Nothing is impossible or what it seems. With the correct calculations, I can prove this."

"Wow," Jason remarked, somewhat dazed. He had to admit she was a genius. In some ways she reminded him of Leo, except she was less… Cheerful and hyper.

Jason couldn't help but be curious. As he promised Alex, he never asked anyone about their background, where they came from, their parents and what kind of childhoods they had. But he was curious when, several times, Drypêtis mentioned her cousin.

Apparently, they were close. But although Jason had never met Drypêtis' cousin, she herself was the first Iranian Jason had ever met. She had a faint European accent, like Alex, but it was barely noticeable. He sometimes wondered if it was Greek. She spoke Persian sometimes the way Leo spoke Spanish when he was getting excited or agitated. Her name, Drypêtis also didn't sound like a typical Middle-Eastern name. He thought he could remember reading it on a history book somewhere, but Jason couldn't remember which book.

Slowly, more people opened to him. Jason supposed- or hoped- that they saw he wasn't so bad, and he appeared to appreciate of Drypêtis. They didn't exactly trust him like he'd hoped, but they weren't as suspicious as before.

That was Jason's plan: to gain their trust, so he could learn more about them- and hopefully, find a way to get back to his friends without too many suspicions running around.

The people at 'Headquarters', as they called it, were a mix of different people. They had different nationalities, and none of them, Jason noticed, were from America. As far as he knew, he was the only American there.

There was a girl called Eleana and another one called Mizuki. Eleana sounded British and Mizuki was Japanese. The two of them were total opposites but were close to each other. Drypêtis had introduced them.

They were both, astoundingly, outrageously beautiful. Eleana had wavy golden hair that shimmered and glittered whenever the light hit it, like spun gold with a few natural coppery streaks at the side. Her eyes were so blue- bright and clear they reminded Jason of a sunny day on the beach in a tropical country. She had fair skin, flawless, but with a slight golden tan; and perfect bow-shaped, reddish-pink lips over very white teeth.

It occurred to Jason that something wasn't right. All the people he'd met were absurdly good-looking when he met the two girls. Alex looked, well, he looked more regal than all the statues Jason had ever seen of the gods in full armour and togas, while wearing the casual black trousers, jacket and shirt or anything else. Mizuki was no exception. Her face was oval, with a smooth, glossy, luminous mane; her complexion was pale, and she was so heart-crushingly, breathtakingly beautiful she looked like an actual goddess. Her dark, blue-black almond eyes were absolutely haunting, and Jason was reminded of Diana- or Artemis- only she'd never give birth to a demigod child.

The two girls confused them as soon as he met them. Eleana smiled warmly, but Jason's senses went on high-alert, like he was buzzing into a Venus Flytrap. She welcomed him, joked, laughed but it was like facing Mata Hari. Mizuki on the other hand, kept her distance. She was mostly silent around Alex and rarely spoke to him. She didn't trust him. Eleana was a singer. Jason admitted she was damned excellent, even compared to some of the Apollo kids he had heard at both camps. He still didn't know what Mizuki did or whose kid she was.

Jason was desperate for answers. He desperately needed to know anything- anything about Piper or Leo or Percy or Annabeth or Frank or Hazel or Reyna or Nico. Especially Piper. Anything on her whether she was alive or dead. Drypêtis had gotten orders for various weapons to be made, but she didn't reveal what they were for.

She must've seen Jason's strained expression, because she assured him one day:

"There has to be trust. You have to be reliable and prove yourself reliable and honest if you want anyone to start trusting you. That includes everyone here." She leaned closer.

"They're watching you."

Jason's senses went on high-alert. "Who?"

"Alex. Eleana. Mizuki. Some of the others. Watching to see how you react to things and whether or not you can be trusted."

"To keep their existence a secret?"

"With everything." Drypêtis' eyes were steely. "Many people here have gone undetected from the demigods and gods- even their parents. Yes, there are demigods here. Mostly Greek. Some of them bear grudges. Not everyone was stupid though. During the Titan War, we watched from a distance, waiting to see which side was worth helping. If it was just gods and titans, none of us would give a damn about who won or who got dethroned. It was you guys we were watching- heroes, if you can call them that. Clearly you guys- Greek and Roman- were, so we helped a bit behind the scenes." She handed Jason an open book.

"Err… What's this?"

Drypêtis pointed. "Basilisk Blood. One of our friends researched this. During the Titan War Kronos and Hyperion sent for reinforcements- tens of thousands of more monsters heading towards Mount Othrys and your friends during the war. So she did some digging of her own, with Alex's encouragement and help." The picture on the book showed a vial of red liquid being drizzled over a steak, like sauce. "It gives cooked meat a savoury smell. But if you eat it, it causes delusions. Literal delusions and violent mood swings. A mouse will attack a lion, or so they say."

Jason gaped. _"That's_ why they fought?" Their scouts had reported extra monsters one evening, only to have them break out fighting each other. By daybreak, they were all dead. "The monsters killed each other!"

"And you would've been wiped out and your camp and city completely destroyed if it weren't for us." Drypêtis said, looking directly into his eyes. "That wasn't the only time they helped. The inventor Daedalus was found and then persuaded to go to Camp Half-Blood, just to see if the demigods there were worth saving. In the end, he did save them. Alex did that." She said sternly.

Jason just gaped, speechless.

So, they had been helping from behind the scenes. "Is that what you guys do?" He asked. Drypêtis shrugged. "Help out behind the scenes? Why not do it publicly?"

"Because we don't trust the gods," Drypêtis replied shortly.

* * *

Not long after the doctor- or rather, Alex- gave him permission to use the training hall.

A number of teenagers, younger kids and adults were training in a large cavernous hall with grey-blue mats. One guy swung and whacked an axe in a way that made Jason back nervously. The guy caught Jason's eye and grinned maniacally. Jason moved on.

Drypêtis nodded to him before she threw a series of knives to various moving targets. These weren't the simple mechanical dummies that Jason saw at Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. They moved so fast it gave Jason the spins and Drypêtis did too. Her arms and torso were a blur. The targets rotated jumping up and down, flying, spinning turning somersaults and dodging her at breakneck speed. Finally, only one target remained. Drypêtis, having run out of knives, grabbed the nearest thing next to her- whatever it was, she moved too fast for him to see what- and threw it at the approaching target. It knocked it down with a force that made the wind fly in Jason's face.

Several kids were rock-climbing. Like the climbing wall at Camp Half-Blood, this one had lava pouring down, shook and clashed together. However, Jason saw that it was steeper than the one in Camp Half-Blood, rocked even more ominously, rose higher and shook more often than the ones at camp. More kids were canoeing or sailing on an indoor lake and river. Alex told him that they could generate false storms, so they could practice through natural disasters and monster fighting.

Two women all dressed in black from head to toe with cloths around their faces duelled, turning somersaults backwards and forwards, cartwheels, rotations, dodging and turning while their weapons clashed together. One girl flipped herself, literally jumping back up when she was knocked down and resumed fighting like nothing had happened and time hadn't passed. They constantly discarded weapons and picked them up from nearby racks or out of nowhere faster than Jason could blink.

Finally, it ended when one of them knocked her opponent's feet from behind and pointed her weapon- a three-pronged blade like a mini-trident- at her throat. The girl who had lost stood still and the winner drew upwards, offered a hand and removed the cloth covering her face and head. It was Mizuki.

"Amazing, aren't they?" Alex remarked idly as the girls discarded their weapons. The second girl eyed Jason, her eyes narrowed and suspicious, and declined to remove her face-covering. Mizuki ignored him.

 _Of course,_ Jason thought glumly. They still didn't trust him.

"I think you could canoe today," Alex stated as they moved on. "Some of the other exercises are harder to deal with and we've just got you back into the state you were."

Jason frowned. "If I'm back the way I was before you took me, shouldn't I be able to fight by now?" He was eager to get back into shape.

Alex shook his head. "Trust me, you're not ready to get into the exercises some of our people do. It takes years, or at least months to do something a little complex, something which could overpower a monster, in strength as well as speed, even by a fraction. Right now, some of the strongest demigods, like you and your friends, have gotten there. Whatever strength the monsters have that they don't, whatever weaknesses or short-comings they may have, they quickly find a way to make up for it. Here, you can learn to easily overpower many monsters like a horde of Scythian Dracaenae, hellhounds and more in no time. But it takes even longer than what you're used to and you can seriously injure yourself if you try before finding out what it is you're in for. This is only partly like the Legion in Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. There, it's more like a crash-course, you learn by doing. And yes, to an extent, here it's the same. There's no mercy in the real world and you'll get swallowed up if you fall even a centimetre behind. But here, you also train with patience, strategy, exercising your limits slowly and trying out new things. Believe me, you're not ready for some of the things we do here."

Two more people- another girl and a guy- could be seen in separate rooms, divided with glass, like the artificial river and lake and the climbing wall. The girl did a series of yoga-like poses, bending and twisting in such convoluted ways she almost fooled Jason into thinking she was made of rubber bands rather than flesh and bone. He didn't hear any bones cracking or anything popping, so he assumed she was okay. But he watched as she flung two hexagon metal disks into the air like frisbees. They kept turning gently, spinning into the air while more disks slipped from underneath the two, so that eleven of them spun before all their corners sprouted metal barbs and they all flew towards the girl at once.

She flung herself into the air, turning a flip before landing on the ground. But she didn't even blink before she swung to the right, and then the left as two of the barbed frisbees came towards her. Finally, she threw herself, bending backwards, her hand skimming the floor as it picked up several throwing knives. She flew smoothly upwards, dodging and deflecting a barbed frisbee with the weapon, so that it imbedded itself into a wall. She bent and spun around backwards, flinging one hand up and then another so that two more frisbees were stuck into the wall behind her. She flung herself horizontally, spinning sideways in the air, arms a blur as she got one more and the others kept coming in at and dodging her. It was an automated duel.

"Come on," Alex gently encouraged him.

He led Jason into an empty training room. "Javelin, spear or sword? Gladius?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jason shrugged. "Any of them is fine by me." He could've sworn he saw approval in Alex's eyes, but before Jason could figure out whether or not he was imagining it, a rack of weapons appeared, and Alex turned towards it.

He turned back, handing Jason a gladius. It fitted almost perfectly in Jason's palm. It was made of Imperial Gold.

"Swing it," he commanded softly, blue eyes seemingly dark and never leaving Jason as he swung the weapon experimentally.

But before he could finish one swing, Jason found he couldn't move the weapon. That was because Alex, without Jason seeing, had grabbed the gladius and stopped its fall.

"No," he said softly. Jason watched baffled as he took the weapon away. "You're not ready for this yet." He handed Jason a short wooden pole. Jason stared.

He struggled to keep his humiliation down, but he was sure his face was reddening. Just who was this guy? Sure, he might've manipulated a few things behind the scenes, but Jason faced down the Trojan Sea Monster, he threw down the throne of Kronos and defeated the Titan Krios, and he defeated Gaea.

As if sensing Jason's feelings, Alex's eyes gleamed. He stepped back and slowly picked up a similar wooden pole. "Have at it, then." He said, mockingly.

And now that Alex was back. Frustration mounting like a storm, Jason swung his own stick.

It was immediately blocked with a force that sent shockwaves vibrating up Jason's arm and up his body. Jason struggled not to wince. While he was doing that, Alex swung his stick around and slammed it on Jason's shins. He fell over, predictably. But not before he felt a force slam him on his backside pushing him to the ground.

He got slammed in the butt.

Face-planted and groaning, Jason looked up, only to find Alex smirking down at him, his pole fixed towards Jason's throat. "You lose," he said calmly in a mocking voice.

Jason scowled. "Your mistake? Assuming that because I'm new to the scene, that I can't beat a great Hero of Olympus," Alex hissed into his ear, grabbing the scruff of his neck and shoving him onto a pile of mats none-too-gently. Jason scrambled upwards, rolling ungracefully. Alex was smirking in amusement. "Well, aren't you going to try?"

Jason glared. He lunged towards Alex only to have him dodge to the right, and the left, before slamming is leg upwards and kicking Jason in the stomach. Jason doubled over. Alex slammed his wooden pole onto Jason's back, making him slam onto the floor- again.

"Try harder next time," Alex said carelessly, tossing the pole aside. "Well, I'm unarmed, aren't you going to _try?"_

Jason glared at him. "Why, so you'll throw me down?"

Alex scoffed, smiling. "Pathetic. A Hero of Olympus, giving up before he has even tried. And here I thought you led the assault on Mount Othrys. I thought you died to save your girlfriend. I thought you destroyed Gaea. Where is that strength now, the mighty son of the skies?" He drawled. "Where is the Hero of Olympus, unless it's only ever the great Percy Jackson who was worthy of any attention. The great Percy Jackson who defeated Kronos, rather than that horn-headed Krios? Who would win every time you crossed swords? The great Percy Jackson who was worth saving?"

Jason pushed himself to his feet. "Enough." He said, blood rising to his face.

"Not nearly enough." Alex said shortly, his expression now unreadable. "Prove to me. Prove to me that you are good enough to take down anyone who threatens your friends and family." His eyes were firm.

Jason lunged. And predictably he didn't get very far.

It was a rough day.

* * *

Keeping everyone's spirits up was the hardest part of that day.

If anyone asked Percy which was the hardest, it was that, hands down. But that's not counting the fact that the next day will be even worse.

Soon after their arrival, hordes of giant bronze bulls- similar to what he'd seen when the camp's boundaries were first broken down when he was thirteen- came smashing through the strawberry fields, knocking warriors aside like toothpicks. Instead of two bulls, however, these bronze bulls were bigger, numbered five and had snake-women riding on them.

The Scythian Dracaenae wore Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze armour, appartently taken from dead demigods and remodelled for them. They hissed, smashing this way and that with their spears and swords. Percy noticed how ill-fitting some of their equipment must've been so they didn't have much time than to rob the dead heroes for their armour and weapons. He suspected this was because they didn't have Kronos outfitting them this time. Anger rose inside him, seeing the weapons, knowing that kids must've died so they could supply the demons with weapons and armour.

"Raise shields!" He shouted. Everyone raised their shields. "Spears!" And their spears.

"Separate!" Annabeth shouted, somewhere down the line.

The groups suddenly parted, and as predicted, bulls can't turn that easily. The warriors swung aside and back around again, propping their shields up in front.

The Dracaenae hissed and cursed in several ancient languages, slamming their spears on the bulls' bronze hides in order to turn them around. Percy almost felt sorry for the bulls. But then they charged towards them, and archers in the trees threw explosive arrows towards them.

In the meantime, Lou Ellen of the Hecate Cabin was chanting with her siblings, trying to get the boundaries up. Many surviving magic users were doing just that but it wasn't easy.

They were chanting in Ancient Greek, Minoan and whatever language they could use, but sweat was beading their foreheads, they looked pained.

It wasn't enough. It was never going to be enough.

Lou Ellen suddenly drew herself up, arms outstretched as if to embrace the sky. The others copied her. The chanting grew louder. The luminescent silver-white semi-transparent barrier rose.

In the meantime, the warriors were attacking the Scythian Dracaenae, and it looked like they were doing pretty well. They outmanouvred, outsmarted the bulls and snake-ladies. They used clever tactics to avoid them. But most of the warriors were already injured and there weren't that many left.

When the snake-women saw the barriers rising, they stared with wide yellow eyes. One squawked. Then in unison, they screamed, attacking the campers this way and that witha ferocity that stunned them, racing towards the barrier as if to smash back through.

"Now!" Annabeth shouted.

Fire sprung upwards. Greek Fire. The green flames halted the snake-women and their bulls and they screamed in frustration and despair.

"Surround them!" Percy shouted. The remaining warriors ran to surround them.

It occurred to Percy that while the battle was going well, they were fighting a losing war.

Many warriors were already injured. Some had collapsed, and some, Percy was afraid, had died. Many of them looked young, no older than twelve. Of course, that was camp policy. As soon as you turned twelve, you were old enough to go on a quest. But you had to be older to fight a real battle.

But now, they were desperate. They had no choice.

Guilt and anger welled up inside him. He raised Riptide and gave the signal.

Pots of Greek Fire smashed onto the surrounded snake-women. They screamed as they disintegrated. Lou Ellen and her magicians finally got the barriers up. But most of them fell to the ground, exhausted.

Most of them had already fallen. Medics dragged or carried the wounded on stretchers to a safe distance. They couldn't go to either infirmaries- they were too full.

Some were checked, and borne on shields- Percy's gut clenched. The dead.

There would be a cremation tonight. But there weren't enough material or time to make shrouds, Chiron explained. So they had to subsitute. Come to think about it, Percy wondered if they had enough drachmas to supply the dead with a safe passage to Hades.

Campers stitched together bedsheets, surgical sheets, old t-shirts, mats, quilts and blankets- anything they could find. People sobbed. They dyed the shrouds in many colours and the emblems of whatever god they were descended from.

Piper strode next to Percy. "Even with the Cornucopia and Leo's tool belt, supplies are running low," she warned. "There's not enough to go around, and I think we need to wait a bit for the magic to regenerate. Nico's arriving soon with the next group, but that's all we can take for tonight." She warned.

"How many are we expecting?" Annabeth asked from Percy's other side.

"The survivors- probably three or four. Rarely five if we're lucky. The group itself?" Piper shook her head. "Seven or eight."

Three or four would survive from a group of seven or eight. Percy gritted his teeth. "Can we set up some extra tents? Or ask some of the cabins to hold new people- not just the Hermes Cabin?"

Piper frowned. "You think the gods would like that?"

Personally, Percy couldn't care less what the gods thought. They weren't here for this mess.

"They'd better," Annabeth warned.

"My cabin's already open," Percy informed her. "Go, speak to the Cabin Counsellors- all of them. Burn offerings if you have to, say prayers- anything to get them housed. There's going to be a meeting at the Big House later tonight, once we've got everyone settled. The Oracle's made a prophecy."

A prophecy was rarely good news. In fact, if a prophecy presented itself to Percy, he'd much rather dive into a sinkhole, than hear one again. His whole life had been dictated by prophecies. First, when he had to make a decision when he was sixteen whether to save Olympus or destroy it. Second, when he had to fight Gaea and third, when his friend Jason was killed because of a prophecy the Herophile Sibyl made, thanks to Caligula.

Percy hated prophecies. But right now, it spoke of how desperate they were that they would totally be happy to find a solution to this mess, even if it came from the Oracle.

Not that Percy had anything against the Oracle of Delphi. Rachel was his friend, but she, like everyone else, was going through some tough times. First, the Triumvirate had cut off the oracles from their sources of power. Now, they were just getting it back when all the problems started, according to Chiron.

Just then, through the shadows, Nico di Angelo, Percy's pet hellhound Mrs. O'Leary and a group of people melted through, exhausted.

The Romans had arrived.

Only these guys weren't fit enough for battle. They were soot-stained, blood-stained and covered with a whole lot of other stains Percy just didn't want to think about. Nico pulled one to his feet.

"Percy," he said walking over.

"Hey, Neeks," he greeted wearily, giving a one-armed hug to Nico which he returned. Nico turned to Annabeth. "Hi, Annabeth."

"Hey," she replied softly. "These are the refugees?"

Nico nodded. "Four. They were lucky. I did say it was smarter to go in smaller numbers and separate routes to make their chances of getting caught less likely. But people are panicking. There's a hysteria in New Rome that Reyna and Frank can't control. People are panicking, going crazy. They all want to get out of there, except for the bravest and most determined- or the stupidest. And the ones with the most responsibilities, like the Praetors and the magic-users like Hazel. But even the warriors with kids are saying they have to come here. It's not good, Percy, it's not good at all."

Percy hated it when people said that. When they looked to him, as if somehow, _he_ had the answers. As if he could pull them out of this mess.

But if he couldn't, who would? The gods were still up in Olympus, cut off from the outside world.

"Hey, girl," Percy said gently, bending to rub Mrs. O'Leary's snout. She barked, happy to see him and thumped her tail.

"Nico," Annabeth spoke. "What's happening in the mortal world? Chiron says the Mist is down."

"Not completely down," Nico corrected. "But disintegrating as we speak. I can show you something on the mortal news. Hey, can someone bring a rainbow-fountain? We need to find out what's happening in the mortal world."

A camper raced off. Minutes later, he returned with a wooden box. He gently set it on the ground and opened it to reveal a breathtaking fountain of crystal and mirrors, so delicately and beautifully made, and fashioned. The miniature fountain was made of crystal, set on a base that looked like a mirror. It was surrounded by more crystal, in a frame which looked like it was made of more tendrils of crystal on a base which was a heart-shaped mirror. Nico knelt and poured water into the fountain.

Annabeh inhaled sharply. "It's beautiful."

"Thanks to Leo and Jake Mason," Piper appeared again. Nico inserted a coin into a slot and pulled the frame lower over the fountain and the crystalline figure of Iris on the fountain. The fountain splashed musically and threw a rainbow of lights everywhere. "O Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering. Show me the effects of the dying Mist on the Mortal World." Nico asked.

The rainbow shimmered. The scene shifted and showed itself, a news broadcast on mortal television.

"-people running and screaming, as this footage shows, taken by an eyewitness using a smartphone." The presenter was saying. "A group of what looks like green-skinned, green-scaled women with snake tails for legs attacking a group of teenagers."

"Oh, crap!" Someone moaned. Everyone groaned. "The teenagers appear to be putting up a fight as mall security runs forwards- only for the security guards to be thrown aside onto the windows of a nearby store." Footage showed a mall cop being thrown smashing the windows of Marks and Spencer's.

"Some of the teens died in the attack, but the mysterious assailants disappeared. Skeptics claim that the women are merely in disguise, whereas others have different theories, ranging from aliens remaining in New York to radioactive mutation. The teenagers were severely injured. Bystanders and mall-goers called ambulances and police, who tried desperately to rescucitate the children. But all have been confirmed to have died shortly afterwards." A grave silence ensued everywhere. "Police are working on identifying the individual children who have died and contacting their families. Anyone with information is encouraged to alert the authorities."

"That was the attack in the mall last week," Nico confirmed. _"This_ is from two days ago."

"It has been a week since the incident with the teenagers being attacked at a mall by a group of unusual assailants, and information is scarce, but police are now revealing the identities of the teenagers who've died in the incident. Unfortunately, the identities of their assailants are another matter entirely and even worse, more mysterious but similar incidents are spreading, not just throughout the United States, but throughout most of the western hempisphere." Everyone froze.

The reporter, a pretty blonde woman with white skin and who normally had a smile worthy of a toothpaste ad, looked grave. The scene shifted, showing a house that was partly flooded with smoke, partly crumbling and partly on fire.

"This morning, neighbours from an Alabama suburb called nine-one-one reporting alarming noises and explosions coming from the house of Leanne Williams, a single mother with a three-year-old son." Gasps. "The neighbours reported seeing huge tattooed men with strangely alarmingly muscular forms over eight feet in height. The men had pointed teeth and iron clubs and had barricaded themselves inside with the mother and her son. SWAT teams were called, but the house collapsed and once again, the mysterious assailants disappeared. Rescue teams and volunteers retrieved the body of the mother and her infant son from the wreckage." Cries of disbelief, shock and horror. Percy's fists clenched. "Investigators report that the house was robbed, the pantries, cabinets and refridgerator having been taken with all its contents. It is implied that these strange criminals- or monsters depending on who you believe- have escaped."

"And this," Nico said quietly. "Is from today- a few hours ago."

"A teenage girl from the island of Crete in Greece has gone missing, while on a trip to New York. Authorities report seeing her being pursued by a group of men, similar to the ones breaking into and attacking the home of Ms. Leanne Williams and her son. Investigators are being tight-lipped about the identity of the missing girl, but it is widely believed that she is the daughter of a diplomat or a VIP at the very least. Family and friends are frantic and have offered a reward."

A shot back to the reporter. "I'm Christine Everhart, thank you for watching." She said and Nico sliced his hand through the rainbow.

"All this," Percy said slowly, in a dangerous voice, as he turned towards the figure of Chiron. "Has been happening while we were away?" Rage clouded his vision. "Why didn't you tell us?" He demanded.

"Percy, we tried," Katie Gardner from the Demeter Cabin tried to explain gently. "But we couldn't get through-"

"And now a _three-year-old kid_ and a group of campers are dead, and a _young girl_ have gone missing because we weren't there!" Percy's voice grew into a shout. "And you thought we needed a break?!"

He kicked a stone harshly, flinging it through the air. Everyone was silent.

"Percy," Chiron's voice sounded sad and tired. "We never anticipated this would happen. In over a thousand years, ever since the Trojan War, the Mist was used to protect the mortal and the supernatural worlds from mingling together. It has never failed. Yes, on occassion, it has made campers look like criminals-" Someone snorted. "But it has always kept the boundaries between the mortal world and ours separate. We believed, that after the death of Jason-" Chiron's voice grew even sadder. "That you needed a break before you could return. Unfortunately, we did not realise that our communications would be cut."

"Who's behind this?" Percy demanded. "Just who-"

"We don't know," Travis Stoll interrupted. "All we know that it seems to be a form of alliance," Malcolm spoke up. "But not under any form of banner. If we looked at the armies of Kronos, Gaea and the Triumvirate, they all seemed to be... Organised. Less desperate."

"More healthy," Katie Gardner piped up. "They seemed better fed, and better equipped," Malcolm continued. "Better tactics. These guys... They're in it for robbery."

Annabeth inhaled sharply. "Will mentioned that the campers were robbed of their supplies. Leanne Williams' house was raided. Their food gone."

"And the Dracaenae that attacked were wearing armour and weapons that looked like they came from Camp Half-Blood or the Legion," Percy realised. Nico stirred.

"We noticed some of the monsters that attacked us rummaging through a pile of dead bodies- and carrying satchels that might've been standard legion issue," he said softly.

"Oh my gods," Annabeth gasped. "That's why they're attacking us. That's why they're so desperate. They know the Mist is down. So they think they don't have much time for survival. They've got nothing to lose now- no point hiding from the mortals."

Everyone seemed to grasp the shocking revelation with astonishment.

"It might be so," Chiron frowned. "On their own, monsters usually attack mortals; the stray hitchhiker in the middle of the night; the unfortunate mountain climber that wandered too close or the trekker in the jungle. Or farmers that live out in the rural countryside, and tourists that stray too far from human contact."

"Or anyone in a dark alley," Connor Stoll piped. "Drunks, criminals, gangsters anyone likely to go missing. But with the Mist gone..." He turned wide eyes towards Chiron.

"Yes," Chiron nodded grimly. "It seems they truly have nothing to lose. It's only a matter of time before the mortals accept what they see."

A cold chill flooded Percy's body. "And only a matter of time before they find out about us too."

* * *

The doctor in the morgue checked through the bodies.

The teenagers' deaths were a tragedy. He couldn't dispute that. It was horrible, what happened to these kids. Mass panic was everywhere. Parents with children refused to let them leave their sights, even for them to go to school. It was particularly true in North America, but in other parts of the world, agents reported strange occurrences as well.

"Did you find anything, doctor?" An English-accented voice asked.

"Nothing unusual," he replied idly. He gently peeled back the cover. "They died from injuries, being overwhelmed. Blood-loss, severe haemorraghing, physical trauma..." He trailed off as he examined the body.

"Any identification of the bodies?" He asked.

"Yes," the girl replied. "Matthew Swift aged sixteen, Samantha Blackwood aged fifteen, Harriet Stone aged thirteen, Anthony Summers aged fifteen." She paused.

The doctor hesitated. "Any family we can contact?"

"Swift, Stone and Summers' families are all deceased," his temporary assistant confessed. "Terrible accidents years before. "Samantha Blackwood has a father though."

He winced. "We should contact him." And unfortunately there was nothing they could do not to release this to the press. "Um, Miss-"

"Simmons," she supplied.

"Miss Simmons, please find me the address and number for Samantha Blackwood's father," he asked. "I need to tell him personally."

The other assistant said nothing. But as soon as his colleagues were distracted, he took out a cellphone- made from Imperial Gold.

"Alex, this is Marcus," he spoke urgently.

* * *

"You sure?" Alex said slowly.

"Positive. And the girl who was missing- she came from Crete, Greece. They said her family was important."

Alex's hand tightened around the table. The wood splintered and cracked and a chunk fell off. He curled it into his hand. The wood was crushed but it didn't soothe his rage.

"She's _missing?"_ He said dangerously.

"I'm afraid so," came the reply.

Alex swore in German. "I should've known. How could we miss this?" He breathed, only his eyes betraying his fury now. "We were so cooped up in rescuing Jason we forgot about Aglaia. How could we forget about _Aglaia?!"_

"Was it really necessary to rescue him?" Marcus' dubious voice questioned.

If he had been there, Alex would have given him a sharp glance that would intimidate him onto the point of death. Instead, his eyes narrowed. "Are you questioning me?" He said softly.

"No, sir." Came the quick reply. "But... What are we going to do about him?"

"Leave that to me," Alex said shortly. "For now- mobilise all available units in New York City. Hunt the monsters. Search for her. Night and day."

"Yes sir." Alex turned it off. He wasn't known for making rash decisions, but Aglaia needed to be found.

Before someone else died.

* * *

 **I've given plenty of clues here- even more than the last chapter!**


End file.
